Teki Muyo!
by Kishi
Summary: A response to SBCC. A battle in the skies above Earth leaves a wounded pilot and unanswered questions....
1. Default Chapter

Kishi: A response to the Blood Chit Challenge by Ms. Kennedy…

---

Teki Muyo!

---

            "Omirei!  Get me the enemy's position!"

            "I've got 'em!  Approaching on vector-relative 2-1-9, moving to intercept!"

            "Roger.  Squadron leaders 1 and 2, move in to support."

            "Affirmative."

            "We're on it!"

---

            It should have been a quiet day at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  It really should have been just an uneventful day watching the goings on of the ISS and monitoring satellite trajectories.  Maybe, the director had promised, if things went without a hitch, they might get a look at the new Hubble telescope images.

            It wasn't when an anonymous corporate satellite deviated towards the Earth that they paid attention, nor was it when another followed suit.  It took 5 such occurrences to draw any serious attention, and by the time that most of the workers were up and active, another 7 had died.

            "OK," said the director, in an emergency meeting with the other department heads.  "We've got an increasing amount of dead satellites.  Any ideas as to why?"

            "We've been in contact with the space divisions of the various corporations," said the head of coordination.  "They reported no problems with their guidance computers, just a massive failure of some kind."

            "Okay, that points to electromagnetic interference," said the director.  "How's the sun looking?"

            "There's no activity.  We checked and double-checked, but no sunspots at all."

            "Is there any possibility that this is from Earth in origin?"

            The military representative leaned forward.  "NORAD hasn't detected any launches from any of the major missile facilities.  We'll have to try to investigate the wreckage before we can say conclusively."

            A young intern ran into the spartan conference room almost on the heels of the soldier's statement.  "Sir!  We've been receiving calls from amateur astronomers up along the Eastern seaboard!"

            "What's the report?"

            "They're saying that there's something going on up over the Atlantic!"

---

            "Squadron one reporting: the enemy fighter squadron has retreated.  Returning to—"

            "Damn!  They were hiding in the moon's gravity well!"

            "Crafty bastards, aren't they?"

            "Omirei, this is Admiral Janko.  I'm ordering you to return to the fleet."

            "Sir, I can use the cloaking organ to break through and catch them on the rear side."

            "Until we can get the fleet in position to give you some covering fire, that's a negative."

---

            After the military had been contacted and told to orient its observation satellites towards the proper coordinates, the conference room had been given access to the video feeds.

            The sight was staggering.  Coming from the moon were great wooden shapes that, although varied in design and complexity, all had a central pod that seemed to be the proverbial CPU for each of the ships.

            Some chose to gawk at that feed.  Others chose to react to the fleet of green and white ships that were floating in space over the Earth.  They were shaped with more uniformity, small ships shaped like javelins with parts of circles connected to them, mid size ships with what appeared to be four prongs connected to some sort of central cockpit module, huge monstrous ships that seemed to be all wing excepting the huge pincer-like extensions from the front, all with the same green hull covering, the same white lights shining.

            There seemed to be some sort of interference in and around the fleets, but after assurances that the cameras were fully functional, they zoomed in to see tinier craft moving frenetically through the fleets.

            "What," breathed the military representative, "in God's name is going on up there?"

---

            "All ships, this is Admiral Janko.  Open fire on the Jurai fleet."

            "Admiral, this is Omirei.  Do I have permission to begin my run?"

            "Yes.  You know the drill."

            "Roger."

---

            As they watched, the green and white fleet opened fire on the wooden fleet.  Everyone assumed that it would be over very, very quickly, when suddenly from each ship emerged at least one blue extension of energy.  Moving freely, they began to deflect the shots from the dark fleet.

            "What sort of technology _is_ that anyway?" asked the director rhetorically.

---

            "Admiral, we've received a tight-band encrypted transmission from the Shade.  Omirei says he's ready to go."

            "Right.  Wait for them to begin diverting their fire towards him, then move our Dragons forward."

            "But, sir, isn't that dangerous?"

            "No worries.  Omirei lives for that sort of thing."

---

            Two things happened at once.  The forward wooden ships opened fire, blue light flashing toward the green and white ships.  At the same time, in the back of the wooden ships a black shape appeared.  Rushing forward, it loosed a torrent of firepower that belied its size.  A red beam lanced forward, slicing through fighters that stayed too long in its path.  It altered course once every few seconds, shooting pink balls of light, which slammed into capital ships, exploded, left no marks sometimes, left burn marks sometimes.

            "Hold on a minute," said the director.  "Can we get a replay of the last minute or so of feed?"

            Yes, they could.  They watched very carefully for any sign of its presence among the wooden ships, but were irksomely disappointed.  One moment it wasn't there, the next, it was.

            "Amazing," muttered the Electronics head.

            The second thing to happen was that the group of javelin ships shot toward the wooden ships.  As they opened fire on the black ship, the javelin ships in turn opened fire on the wooden ships, red lances that trained in regardless of the direction the ships faced.  Fighters from both sides rushed forward, and soon fiery spheres blossomed in the night.

---

            "Sir!  We've established a frontline against the Jurai fleet!"

            "Good.  Give the rest of the fleet the order to move forward.  Pincer attack."

            "Yes sir."

            "Admiral, this is Omirei."

            "Omirei!  Good job on the interference run!"

            "Thank you, sir.  Moving to rejoin the skirmish."

            "I don't know if that's wise.  We can't afford to lose another pilot like you."

            "Forgive me, sir.  The weaves get a little difficult to discern in the thick of things.  I can handle them."

            "Understood.  However, you are ordered to avoid the main battle."

            "Yes sir.  Omirei out."

---

            The remainder of the green and white ships began to move forward, and perhaps not a moment too soon.  The wooden ships seemed to have recovered from their confusion and were firing at the javelin ships, the blue extensions moving more frantically now to block the fiery red lines.  The green and white javelin ships were beginning to take a pounding from the combined firepower of the wooden fighters and the capitol ships.

            And there was the black ship, weaving in and out of enemy fighter formations, leaving explosions in its wake.  And yet, the military representative noticed, the black ship did not pursue enemies that survived and retreated.

            The representative, being something of a history buff, recognized the similarity between this ship's pilot and the Red Baron of World War I, but didn't see a need to vocalize his sentiment.

            Meanwhile, roughly a third of the remaining ships had formed a firing line from the Javelin ships around the wooden fleet's right side.

---

            "Sir, we're reading a lot of fighter activity around the Shade.  Shall we move in reinforcements?"

            "Yes.  Squadrons 5, 7, and 8 are nearest.  Order them to disengage and move to fly point with the Shade."

            "Understood."

---

            The black ship became the center of attention for the wooden fleet.  Its fighters became consumed only with its destruction, with capitol ships taking pot shots at it whenever it flew into range.

            Several green and white fighter craft moved in to alleviate the pressure on the black ship, and soon the area around it contained a spectacular array of light and color.

            Meanwhile, the rest of the mechanical fleet had reformed on the other side of the wooden fleet and had begun pounding the flank mercilessly.  The defensive weapon employed universally by the wooden fleet was put to use along with the banks of laser batteries, but the sheer weight of the firepower brought to bear was beginning to prove too much.  At the same time, the mechanical fleet that had previously arrayed itself opened fire, ripping into the shields of the wooden fleet.

            The fire and counter fire of weapons proved to be too much for the black ship to take.  It promptly disappeared, reappearing at some distance moving towards the rear of the fleet, presumably to engage in another run.  However, the armaments leveled against it proved to be too much, and the pilot perhaps a hair too slow, as a stray shot danced across its hull.  It didn't disappear again.

            It turned instead, making a run toward Earth, ducking and dodging the various shots and missiles that had its death in mind.  However, as it continued its run towards a friendlier environ, it couldn't avoid the thickening spray of death from both friend and foe.  More shots pinged off its shields, and more, and more, until, finally the thrusters died and the wreck shot through space towards the nearest body of gravity.

---

            "Sir!  We've lost contact with the Shade!"

            "All fighter squadrons are currently engaged in the battle.  We can't pull any away."

            "Admiral Janko, what are your orders?"

            "We can't go after Omirei right now.  He'd want us to concentrate only on the battle for now.  When we're done here we can go down and try to track him."

            "Understood, sir."

---

            "As you can see, Mr. President, it is quite clear that a vessel of extraterrestrial origin has landed here on Earth."

            "I see," said President Rousseau.  Nobody had ever expected a half-French democrat from Texas to gain the Presidency, but he had made promises to the labor unions and to the social security beneficiaries and appealed to the victimized masses of corporate scandal.  It hadn't hurt any that the man had himself come from poverty and worked for every single thing he had.

            He attended Texas University at Austin, catching the Governor's attention with his impassioned speeches for immigrant's rights.  The governor, being closely moderate in his political standing, saw Rousseau's potential and offered an internship, which was accepted whole-heartedly.

            Now, after having just won the Presidency, he was presented with his first crisis.

            "So," he asked the Cabinet.  "What do you propose we do about this?"

            "Mr. President," intoned the Secretary of Defense, "We can't allow this activity to go unchecked.  The video footage clearly indicates that a battle took place, and we have no idea as to whether or not the aliens are hostile to us or not.  We should locate this ship or its remains and confiscate it."

            "Do we have any idea as to where it may have landed?" asked the President.

            "According to the report, NASA scientists were able to monitor its course and plot a trajectory when they lost track," said the Secretary of State.  "All current calculations place it as landing in the western Pacific region.  Landfall estimates include China, Japan and the Korean peninsula."

            "Extraction is likely to be a messy business then," mused Rousseau.  "Especially if the Chinese get their hands on it."  The Cabinet showed various signs of agreement; China was notorious for taking advantage of any opportunity to advance its technology.  At which point, of course, they'd sell it off to the highest bidder, no matter who it was, and with the war on terror, the sums and organizations involved could make things dicey.

            _No_, realized the President, _better to get our hands on it first.  Due to the highly classified nature of these events, we can't afford to let too much money disappear in some auction._

            "Mr. President, if I may make a suggestion?" asked the Secretary of State.  Rousseau nodded.  "If it made landfall at any of the nations involved, we can assume the media would have a field day with it, yes?"

            "Likely.  You want our embassies to begin keeping an eye on the news broadcasts to catch any unusual events."

            "That's the idea, sir."

            "Very well.  I want the CIA updated on the situation.  As soon as we identify the country, I want them deployed."

            "Yes sir."

            "Very well, then.  What's the next order of business?"

---

Kishi: Well, all right.  I guess this is going to end up taking multiple parts… at least it won't be some epic or something like my other work in Tenchi Muyo.

Tenchi Muyo! is copyrighted to Masaki Kojishima and distributed by Pioneer Geneon and AIC.  The only things I own are those things that I perceive as being original and, thusly, my own.  If someone recognizes an idea they thought up previously, all credit goes to them.

It's usually a toss up as to where I can be contacted, but a working address should be in my author profile… I think….


	2. Chapter 2

Kishi: The furthering of the response to the Blood Chit Challenge by Ms. Kennedy....

---

Teki Muyo!

Chapter 2

---

It was 4 in the morning when a high-pitched whistling echoed through the skies of Japan. Early morning commuters returning home saw a brilliant white streak in the skies, descending, lightening the sky, the whistling deepening to a roar as it flew ever closer. No less than 3 cities called in, filing reports with the Ministry, citing either a meteorite or a UFO or a missile of some kind. Whatever it was, there was only one agreement – it was moving southwards, toward the Hiroshima-Okayama area.

An explosion reverberated throughout the mountainous landscape. There were subsequent crashes as the object bounced off of cliffs, formed indentations in every surface it contacted. Finally, it ground to a halt, in what could justifiably be referred to as the middle of nowhere.

For a moment, everything was still. The stillness vanished, though, with the hiss of a pressurized bulkhead popping open. An apparently young man staggered out, coughing. He took a couple steps then collapsed to his knees, panting. Then, standing back up and shaking his head, he began to stumble forward.

---

Tenchi came down the stairs that morning to the sounds of some sort of newscast. He looked to the living room and saw Aeka, more than a few hairs out of place, staring intently at the television screen.

"What's going on?" Tenchi attempted to ask, but a shushing motion by Aeka cut his query off halfway. He made his way toward the couch, and as he walked he couldn't help but notice that Sasami seemed to be cooking a little slower than usual, as if she were devoting herself as much to cooking as she was to listening to the newscast.

Then he noticed the subject of the news, and it all made sense.

Easing himself down to the couch, he asked, "This is about the war Jurai's engaged in, isn't it?"

Luckily, it was a commercial break, so Aeka was able to answer, "Yes."

"How's it going?"

She sighed. "It's hard to tell. Jurai has an abundance of ships, and our navy is top-rate. On the other hand, the L'ke possess superior technology, but are relatively few in number. The war tends to swing back and forth."

"And now, with your 39/19 news service, this is GNN," came the jingle, followed by the opening shot of the fairly attractive generic newswoman.

"Thank you for joining us," she said. "Top story, tonight, another battle between the Juraian and L'ke forces. This time, in a surprising offensive move, the L'ke moved a fleet into the space of a Juraian colony planet, codenamed 'Earth' in the Sol system. Jurai moved to intercept, but as of yet we have received no word of casualties."

Tenchi noticed Aeka sigh and sit back. "They got awful close this time, didn't they?" he asked.

"Quite," she replied. "Although the news is right when they say that this is unusual for the L'ke. They've never been the aggressors before."

"You think they were after you guys?"

"It's hard to say. The L'ke have never really been clear as to the motives for their actions. No one's quite sure why they don't allow anyone in their space, no one knows why they were so vehement in avoiding the first contact, and we definitely have no idea why they're so ardent in their defense."

"Sounds like a real pain in the ass, ne, Tenchi?" asked Ryoko as she phased into existence looped about his shoulders.

"Still, as long as you don't mind," she said, "I wouldn't mind doing something 'mysterious' with you..."

"Uh..." said Tenchi, utilizing the patented diplomatic response, which should have allowed Aeka plenty of time to get a response in.

It looked as if she would, too, except that Sasami called in that breakfast was ready. Sighing in relief, Tenchi made his way over to the table, where Washyuu was already waiting.

"Where are Mihoshi and Kiyone?" he asked.

"They just got back," said Washyuu. "They're currently in the onsen, courtesy of one of Mihoshi's famous landings."

As if the mention of their names were enough to summon them, the two officers walked in the front door.

"Another 10-point landing, huh?" asked Tenchi good-naturedly.

"It would've been just fine!" pouted Mihoshi. "If it weren't for that stupid battle going on up there..."

"You were there?" Aeka asked excitedly, leaning forward intently.

"We'd passed through one of the firefight zones," said Kiyone.

"How did it look? Were we winning? By how much?" asked Aeka in rapid succession.

"It looked all right," said Mihoshi uncertainly. "The battle was almost over when we came in. Kiyone left me on pilot duty and I got to thinking about the meal we'd be in for when a stray shot just caught us...."

There was a communal sigh. _So much for keeping everyone's minds off of the war,_ thought Tenchi.

They ate and Tenchi got up to leave, walking out to the shed to meet his trusted companions.

---

The pilot tripped along a path he had literally and figuratively stumbled upon. The nausea had cleared up slowly but surely, but the pains of his walking assured him that he'd broken many bones in his upper body.

He'd also taken to hacking up blood at increasingly regular intervals, which further detracted from the joy he could've taken from his surroundings. Trees covered in green formed an almost perfect canopy, allowing several chinks and the occasional shaft of sunshine to illuminate his path without it becoming unpleasant. A breeze wafted through the green passage, bringing the forest with all its subtleties to his nose. As he breathed, he was amazed that the people of this planet, so closely related to him genetically, couldn't understand the beauties of such a place.

It felt as though hours passed, but the position of the sun said otherwise, if he was reading it right, and of course there was no guarantee of that. The trees began to thin out, and he noticed what appeared to be terraced fields. Row upon row upon row of green greeted him, waving in the breeze. He looked out into the terraces and saw a lone figure who appeared to be in the act of planting more seeds.

Nodding to himself, he began to walk forward, reaching into one of the pockets of his green flight suit and pulling out an odd, pearly, squat cylinder.

---

Tenchi finished planting the last of the seeds, and began walking towards another terrace closer to the forest. He took a deep breath as he walked, the smell of fresh earth and new growth mingling. He smiled at his handiwork.

On his arrival, he took off the basket and knelt down to begin picking carrots. He didn't look up as he did this, so he was unable to identify the source of the _whump_ sound that issued from what sounded like 8 feet away. When he did look up, however, he saw what appeared to be a reasonably well-built, tall man with black spiky hair pulled back in a braid. Dressed in some sort of dark-green flight suit, his hand was outstretched, holding some sort of pearly object.

As Tenchi approached, the object seemingly came alive, a holographic image issuing, displaying a hand picking up the object. He heard a voice speak from the object in a language he'd never heard before, the words lyrical and possessing an odd sort of flow from word to word. Curious, he reached down and picked up the object.

When he touched it, he felt a shock pass through him from his hands straight to his head. He dropped it immediately, looking at it cautiously when the voice spoke again. "Understood. Language Assimilation complete."

His eyes widened as an image of the man appeared. He had a strong, blocky chin, and his eyes were a calm hazel. "Greetings," the image said. "I understand that my appearance here may cause you no small amount of alarm; but I assure you I come in peace."

Tenchi listened as the image continued "You are receiving this message because you have found either myself or one of my comrades in such a way that we cannot speak for ourselves. In which case, it is the humble request of my people that you take me in, that I be fed and looked-after until such time as I am able to look after myself. In return, my people are prepared to reward you for your services. Thank you." The image bowed and disappeared.

Tenchi considered. He had no idea who this man was, where he was from, or why he was here. A rattling cough caught his attention as blood spat from the stranger's mouth.

That decided the issue. Not one to leave people in need, Tenchi propped the man up on his shoulder and set off back to the house.

---

"Are you sure of the landing site?"

"Again, Prime Minister, I must reiterate that we have no real idea where exactly it landed. We know that there aren't any sightings reported past the mountains between Hiroshima and Okayama prefecture, but as of yet we haven't been able to pin down a landing area yet."

"I see," sighed Yamamoto Kenichi. He was a tired-looking man in his early 60's, black hair fading away, but his eyes were still sharp. "I suppose asking the American military's support is out of the question as well?"

"Actually, sir," said the young secretary, "we just received word from the White House that we are to cooperate with them in the effort to retrieve this object."

"Oh?" Yamamoto raised an eyebrow. "Why are they interested in a stray comet?"

"Who knows?" asked the secretary, smiling good-naturedly.

Yamamoto returned the gesture, but his mind was already racing. If the Americans were interested in falling space matter, then that meant that either they had put something up that they didn't want down, or—_No. Better not to think about that._ Extra-terrestrials were just not something they were ready for, yet.

Assuming that they had misplaced a satellite, why were they so desperate for it? And why were they requisitioning the help of the Japanese? Unless 'help' meant simply 'stay out of the way and you won't get hurt.'

No. That wasn't going to fly this time. As far as Yamamoto was concerned, it was Japanese national property, and this time they were going to get the answers.

---

"Tenchi," said Washyuu, "I know you're a nice guy and all, but you've really got to learn to be more careful with extra-terrestrials."

"I'm sorry, Washyuu-chan," he said, "but he just looked really bad... I thought it'd be a good idea if I brought him to you."

"I knew you were brilliant," she said, absently, checking the visitor's stats on her interface. They were currently inside of what amounted to the house's guest room. The futon that the alien was lying on was in the middle, with a decent amount of space, shelves full of the random odds and ends that usually ended up in guest rooms. The windows were large, letting in much sunlight. The alien rested peacefully, his uniform discarded, his ribs bound with some sort of nanite-infested bandage that was guaranteed to heal the alien's wounds in a day.

The door opened and Katsuhito stepped in. His serene face was contorted to reprimand, but upon taking in the situation he paused. "Tenchi," he asked, "what is he doing here?"

"Ah... I found him?" Tenchi hazarded. "I found him unconscious in the fields. I brought him back here for Washyuu to take care of."

"I see," said the elder man, a frown on his face. "Was he carrying anything with him?"

"Come to think of it," Tenchi said, "he had some sort of device in his hand... ah, here." He held out the pearly cylinder.

Curious, Washyuu reached out for the cylinder. She gasped immediately.

"Did you feel a shock in your hand when you touched it?" she asked.

"Yeah... why?"

"Because this is a type of distress beacon. It reads the brainwaves attuned to language and re-transmits those waves back to the owner, so that he can understand and communicate with locals. Let me check something."

She set down the cylinder next to the interface. Tapping some keys, new displays appeared with the cylinder's image taking center stage. The image began to dissect into component parts, Washyuu typing furiously until audio emerged – the same odd, lyrical language that Tenchi had heard previously.

"All right. Now all we gotta do is figure out who uses this language and we'll know where he's from."

The door opened again, and Aeka stepped in. "Tenchi-sama," she said, "what exactly is..." she looked at the alien on the futon.

"We found him out there," said Washyuu, tapping again, sorting through the database with clips of the language on comparison.

"Washyuu-chan," she heard, "please step out of the way." She turned and found Aeka staring hard-eyed at the stranger. Her hand was raised, a bolt of energy forming.

"Aeka?" asked Tenchi. "Aeka, what are you doing?"

At the same time, Katsuhito said, "Aeka, calm down. We should at least ascertain what he's doing here."

"But why, brother?" she asked. "We have a traitor here, and we both know what their sentence is."

---

Kishi: Well, how's that? Dunno when the next one's coming, though.

Tenchi Muyo and all related paraphernalia are copyrighted to Masaki Kojishima, and distributed by AIC and Pioneer.

The only things that are mine are those things that I perceive as original, and thusly are mine. If you recognize an idea that you came up with first, all credit goes to you.

These days, it's a toss-up as to where anyone can contact me, but there should be an e-mail address in my profile...


	3. Chapter 3

Kishi: HA! Guess who's back?

---

Teki Muyo!

Chapter 3

---

It wasn't the most ideal scene to wake up to. Tenchi was kneeling, staring at a livid Aeka, her hand pointed at a helpless derelict, energy preparing to kill him. Katsuhito stood to the side, relaxed in the way that one becomes before motion is required. Washyuu's eyes were alight with curiosity, her laptop running diagnostic displays on the pearl hockey puck just to her left.

That was when the stranger awoke. His eyes raced around the room, taking in every detail, every person and their effects. They finally rested on Aeka. "Aeka-hime-sama," he said quietly. "One is honored by your presence."

"Shinki Omirei," she replied, her voice cold, "Fallen Knight of the Empire of Jurai."

"What? This guy's a knight?" asked Tenchi.

"Of course," said Washyuu, her eyes narrowing in comprehension. "Shinki Omirei, hero of the Empire. A decorated soldier and accomplished warrior who disappeared when the L'ke broke diplomatic ties. I guess this confirms the rumors that he switched sides."

"Before I kill him, I think I deserve to know why," said Aeka, her red eyes hard.

"I have only and ever done what I believed to be right," said Omirei. "It earned me decorations and applause, and now it earns me hate and scorn. I can tell you, however, that I had the Empire's best interests in mind."

"How _dare_ you call betrayal a benevolent act!" she snarled, the ball of energy lashing forward. Omirei rolled suddenly, casting off the sheets. He sprang to his feet and stepped forward, his hand moving toward the princess' throat. A surprisingly firm hand stopped the knife-like strike, and he turned to see Katsuhito looking at him with a deadpan gaze. Aeka's eyes had a panicked determination, her own hands having moved to try to catch his.

"Umm…" Tenchi said, his hand having just reached Tenchi-ken, "can't we just talk about this?"

"If the Crown Prince and Princess can bear to hear me, I will speak."

Katsuhito raised an eyebrow. "That's right," said Omirei. "There are very few who can stop my techniques, and none of the other Knights have disappeared from Jurai." He bowed. "One is honored by your presence."

Katsuhito shook his head. "There's no need for that anymore. I'm just a priest now. I have forsaken all titles and bequeathed them to Tenchi."

Omirei turned to the Japanese youth. "Then this is our first meeting, your Highness," he said. "I apologize that it must be under these circumstances."

His face looked so earnestly repentant that Tenchi had to quell his immediate thought. "Maa, maa," he said. "Nobody's hurt. Why don't we go downstairs and you can tell us your story?"

"As you wish," he said, standing upright and grimacing slightly. "Odd," he said. "I feel sluggish, suddenly."

"Sorry," said Washyuu, smirking. She tapped a command on her keyboard. "Just a little precautionary measure."

---

Kevin Darcy stared at the massed reports in front of him. "Ugh. Why, oh why, do the Japanese have to be so thorough?"

"Now, now," replied his aide. "If we didn't have their reports, we'd have had to comb all of southern Honshu to find it."

"I know, but actual data's proving to be a pain. What do I care about the barometrics in Okayama?"

His aide smiled sympathetically. "They're only trying to help."

Darcy sighed, running his hand through his blonde hair, idly shifting the few strands of gray. At 39, some in the CIA thought he should retire to full deskwork. When he heard them, he would take them down to the shooting range with him and show them the steadiness of his hand, the cold efficiency with which he could pick off the vital points on a body. His icy blue eyes would catch the flash of the gun and for a split second he'd have a crazy glare in his eyes, and by that time there was no interest in letting him out.

This was not to say he was a sinister man. He always had a Joe Everyman sort of air, just like all the field operatives. It was just that he never lost that candid acceptance of his surroundings – not even when he had to kill or be killed.

"Well, regardless," he said, "I think we can definitely pin it down to within a hundred square miles." He delineated a circle between Hiroshima and Okayama.

"Satellite imaging detected an unusual visual anomaly right here," said the aide, pointing to the northeasterly side. She brought out some photos from the manila folder she was holding.

Darcy looked at them. "I think this is it," he said, finally. "Unless trees going down in a straight line is normal for this region."

"Shall I notify headquarters then?"

"At once. Advise immediate action; we've got to get our hands on it first!"

---

The family gathered in the living room. Everyone had managed to garner a seat somewhere, with the exception of Omirei, standing in front of the television.

Sasami's eyes lit up when she saw him. "'Rei-chan!" she cried joyfully, running forward and giving him a hug.

Omirei, for his part, looked surprised. "Sasami-hime-sama!" came his startled voice. "One is glad to see you again." He returned the embrace somewhat awkwardly.

"What are you doing here?" she asked when she was done hugging him. "I thought you still had stuff to do back home."

"I did," he replied, his voice soft. "But my duty called me away. I never thought I'd see you again, to be honest."

She looked with astonished eyes. "Why would you think something like that?"

Aeka's eyes hardened when she saw the two of them, but her voice retained its calm: "Sasami-chan, would you like to sit with me?"

"Sure!" chirped Sasami, and Aeka's eyes were calm when Sasami saw her. Once they were all seated, Ryoko to her rafter, Washyuu on her cushion, Aeka, Sasami, Kiyone and Mihoshi to the couch and Tenchi off to the side, Omirei nodded.

"I trust you all know the media's spin on events – my betrayal, and the unprovoked advance of the mysterious L'ke."

The looks on the assembled faces ranged from comprehension to cheerful ignorance. "Good," he said. "Now let me tell you the real story."

"I trust you are not too interested in my personal background, and it is fairly uninteresting. Suffice to say that, as of 500 years ago, I was a Knight in the service of the Jurai Empire. Jurai had, by this time, recovered from the damages inflicted by Ryoko's attack."

A pained look passed over Ryoko's features as he continued, "It was at this point that one of our probes we sent out for deep space exploration returned to us. But it bore the oddest information, containing stellar cartography more detailed than we'd ever seen, more detailed than it was initially programmed to collect. It showed a sizable cache of star systems all under the control of a previously unknown political entity."

"The L'ke," supplied Aeka, helpfully.

"Yes. We dispatched envoys to speak with them, yet most were sent back fruitless until finally, there was a tentative trade agreement. That one agreement took a hundred years to secure, and even then it wasn't anything more than agricultural goods. But it was a start, and soon their immense transports filled our ports with goods. Then we encouraged their involvement in politics, and to a certain extent they accepted this, sending their scouts and envoys throughout known space."

"But there was a certain oddity in this – the L'ke would never let anything into their space. There was no vehemence or paranoia in their replies, just a flat statement that nobody could intrude. All attempts were intercepted, disabled, and sent back with no casualties. There were objections to this, but since the L'ke were entitled to their rights and they never killed, nobody ever pressed for war. 3 centuries passed this way."

He sighed. "This is where the media and I part ways. The media says that one hundred years ago I resigned my place in the Knighthood for reasons obscure. Fifty years later, I'm at the head of a fleet attacking the Empire. But there are things that either they missed or were censored out."

"A year before I left, a blight struck the trees of Jurai." There were gasps of shock around the room.

"That's impossible," gasped Aeka. "The Tree of Life spreads nutrients throughout the soil, and they draw directly from it, not to mention the psychic link they have… it can't be."

"That's what we thought at first as well. So we investigated it. It took us a few months, but we concluded eventually that some sort of massive will was being brought to bear against the Tree of Life, interfering with its psychic links to the trees. Nobody else had that sort of capability, we thought, until we remembered that the L'ke wouldn't tell us anything about their own capabilities. I volunteered to sneak inside of their territory and ascertain the truth for myself."

Washyuu looked at him critically. "It took you fifty years to find anything?"

"It took me less than that," he replied. "But I can't tell you what I found."

"Then how do we trust you?" demanded Aeka, leaning forward intently, her eyes hard.

Omirei's face grew pained. "Listen," he said. "We always believed the L'ke were isolationist solely based on the fact that they have an incredibly bloody history in their early stages. However, their technology, philosophy, and overall civilization were ridiculously advanced even at that stage. The L'ke are keeping something. It is beautiful and terrible, could save us and destroy us, and they will let none have it. They don't believe any should have it. They tried to destroy it once, but all attempts failed, so now they protect it at all cost."

"That doesn't answer the question. How do we know we can trust you?"

"Sadly," he sighed, "you don't."

---

"So the anomaly's been tracked to the Okayama area?"

"Yes, Prime Minister. Our bugs have picked up CIA deployment plans for the area."

"Send out orders to the SDF. We'll have them deploy and detain the agents and the anomaly. Let's try to keep this quiet."

"Yes, sir."

---

"So what were you doing here on Earth?" asked Tenchi.

"That is another long answer." Omirei's lips curled. "Perhaps you should take a break from my ramblings."

There were stretches and somewhat muted conversations. Washyuu looked at him speculatively, while Aeka began to whisper to Tenchi. Ryoko teleported down and draped herself over the hapless lad, but her expression spoke of a certain focus as she joined in. It wasn't to last; as Omirei watched, Ryoko muttered something and began to snigger, at which point Aeka began trembling from some suppressed emotion. Somehow, Omirei had a good idea of what it was.

"You defected from Jurai to the L'ke," said Washyuu, breaking off the banter. "You were sent there originally to ascertain if they had a cure, and instead found a secret. But that still doesn't answer the question – can the L'ke save Jurai?"

"Yes."

"So why haven't they?"

"I cannot say."

"You do realize that we're going to be suspicious of you as long as you continue to hold your secrets," said Kiyone.

"I expect no less. After all, you haven't come to the most important question."

"Why are you here?" asked Tenchi.

"I am here to take one of you back with me to the L'ke homeworld."

There was a pause, until Ryoko lifted Aeka out of the sofa by the scruff of the neck and said, "You can have her!"

"Put me down!" squawked Aeka, expanding the forcefield and blowing Ryoko off.

Before they could enter into earnest conflict, Omirei's voice quietly interjected: "I didn't come for her." They paused and looked at him. "I am loyal," he continued. "Even when I decided to fight under the L'ke banner, I never forsook my oath to stand guardian over the royalty. I have no intention of doing so now."

"But if it's not the Princess," asked Mihoshi, "then who--?"

He looked at Washyuu. "Sensei," he intoned formally, "your mind is the most brilliant ever known. Even the L'ke bow down before you. Your mind may be the only one capable of unraveling the fullness of our secret, which we are unable to comprehend in its fullness. I ask, in the name of the L'ke Nation: help us."

He knelt down at her feet, failing to see the astonished expression in her eyes.

---

Sunlight filtered down through the trees, bright heavenly pillars holding up a green ceiling. It generally fell without rebellious reflection or refraction, but today was a different day. Light fell – and reflected audaciously off of a smooth black hull. It was amazingly smooth – not a single blemish marred its surface. The area around it, however, had been flattened by its arrival, including a sizable crater in the mountain.

The normal serenade of birdsong was silent that day, for some reason. It may have had something to do with the men and women quietly making their way through the brush. That wasn't to say that they couldn't have been quieter – there was just no reason for it.

They stepped out of the shade and into the sunlight, obtaining a good look at the ship with its curves, its gentle upward slope, its arrow shape.

Darcy lifted his cell phone to his ear. "Target acquired."

---

"So what are we going to do?"

"_I_ for one don't see why we should go with him," said Aeka.

"It does sound an awful lot like kidnapping someone," said Washyuu. "Why did you have a fleet of ships with you?"

"Jurai keeps a very close eye on the Sol system, for obvious reasons," replied Omirei. "If even a single L'ke ship was sighted in the area, they would have sent a fleet over here. And, sadly, the cloaking organ I use on my ship is a prototype, so I couldn't hold it long enough to get here and get out again."

"And even if you'd requested we come to you, Jurai would've still interfered," reasoned Washyuu. "A battle was unavoidable."

"How do we know that this isn't you taking a hostage?" asked Tenchi, leaning forward.

"If all of you were to come with me," replied Omirei with a bleak smile, "I would be the hostage. Do you honestly think that one being can be effective against the seven of you?"

"I still think this is a bad idea," said Aeka, her voice dubious. "He could have some ships hidden that we don't know about. We could be walking into a trap."

"I hate to side with the princess on this one," said Ryoko, "but she's got a point. It ain't worth the risk."

Washyuu looked at her daughter meaningfully. Ryoko looked away for a sulky second before glaring back defiantly. Washyuu only smiled.

"Wait a minute," said Kiyone. "What he's said makes sense. We could say he's in GP custody and escort him back to the L'ke territory. If what he says is true, the war could be over and done with sooner than we all expected."

"But at what cost?" asked Aeka. "It might end with Sasami's ransom, and my own as well."

"Or you could go as an ambassador of peace," replied Kiyone. "We may not have to fight at all if we play our cards right. I think we should go."

The set look on Kiyone's face almost shattered when Mihoshi added, "If Kiyone's for it, I'll be for it too!"

Tenchi looked as though he were about to say something before a small voice interrupted him.

"I think we should go," said Sasami quietly. Her voice was steady and her face determined.

"Sasami…" said Aeka, her voice and expression mildly astonished.

"Omirei was always there for us whenever the other Knights were away. He was one of daddy's first, and he always stood by him no matter what. There's gotta be a reason for what he did, and I wanna know."

Omirei looked at Tenchi, who let out a breath. "It's Washyuu-chan's choice," he said, "but no double play."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He turned to look at Washyuu.

"Well, I'm curious. Let's go."

Omirei blinked. "That's it?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I'm sure Ryoko could handle anything you could throw at us, so it's no big deal."

Omirei bowed. "Very well. We'll depart when you're ready."

---

Kishi: Wow, but writing this thing is taking longer than I thought. I do apologize about that, I really do.

Tenchi Muyo and all related paraphernalia are copyrighted to Masaki Kojishima, and distributed by AIC and Pioneer.

The only things that are mine are those things that I perceive as original, and thusly are mine. If you recognize an idea that you came up with first, all credit goes to you.

These days, it's a toss-up as to where anyone can contact me, but there should be an e-mail address in my profile...


End file.
